Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura was the spiritual master of Srila Prabhupada. Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura powerfully spread the teachings of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu in the early twentieth century.
Purusottama Dasa Thakura was a great devotee of Lord Nityananda. In Goloka Vrndavana, Purusottama Dasa Thakura serves Lord Balarama as a cowherd boy.
Srila Gour Govinda Swami Maharaj appeared on the 2nd of September in the Gaurabda year 443 (1929 A.D.) in Orissa, India. Both his parents were devotees of Krishna and Jagannath, as were their ancestors up to the time of Sri Syamananda Prabhu.
Yudhisthira Maharaj said, “Oh Lord Sri Krishna, O glorious son of Vasudeva, please be merciful to me and describe the Ekadasii that occurs during the dark fortnight of the month of Phalguna (February-March)” Lord Sri Krishna replied, “Oh Yudhisthira, Oh king of kings, gladly I shall tell you about this great fast, known as Vijaya Ekadasii. Whoever observes it certainly achieves success in this life and the next. All the sins of one who fasts on this Ekadasii and hears its sublime glories are eradicated.
Isvara Puri was the spiritual master of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Even though Lord Caitanya, the Supreme Godhead, did not need a spiritual master, He accepted Srila Isvara Puri as His guru to establish the importance of accepting a spiritual master.
Siva Ratri worship of Lord Siva. Devotees may bathe a Siva-linga in water and panca-gavya (five substances from the cow) and offer Krsna-prasada to Lord Siva. Fasting is optional for Vaisnavas. Every lunar month on the 13th or 14th day of the dark half of the moon phase there is a Shivaratri but in the Vedic month of Phalgun (February-March) there is a Maha Shivaratri. The ceremony takes place mainly at night, which is observed in the honour of Lord Shiva, who was married to Parvati (Mother Durga) on this day. Devotees of Lord Shiva generally observe a strict fast on this day and some go to the extent of a nirjal fast i.e. they do not even have a sip of water.
Srila Jagannatha Dasa Babaji Maharaja lived for 140 years. He took diksa from Sri Madhusudana Dasa Babaji and did bhajana for many year at Surya Kunda in vrindavana.
Rasikananda Prabhu preached Krsna consciousness in northern Orissa after the disappearance of Lord Caitanya. He was the principal disciple of Syamananda Gosvami. Accepting the order of his guru, Sri Syamananda, on his head, Rasikananda preached the message of Sri Gaursundar in the world for approximately 16 years. Thereafter he entered into his eternal pastimes through the lotus feet of Gopinatha at Remuna. On the first day of the bright fortnight in the month of Phalguna, Sakabda 1574 (1652AD), Rasikananda quietly slipped out of the village Santa without anyone's notice and walked to Remuna. Arriving there, he discussed Krsna-katha with the devotees there for a while and instructed everyone to serve Sri Krsna with devotion. Then, after requesting them to begin sankirtana, he entered the temple of Sri Gopinatha, and after touching Kshira-chora Gopinatha's lotus feet, which bestow complete fearlessness, he entered into their ultimate shelter.
Purusottama Dasa Thakura was a great devotee of Lord Nityananda. In Goloka Vrndavana, Purusottama Dasa Thakura serves Lord Balarama as a cowherd boy.
This Ekadasi is described in the Brahmanda Purana in a conversation between King Mandhata and the great sage Vasistha. The mighty King known as Mandhata enquired from Vasistha Muni, "O most fortunate sage, please be merciful unto me and kindly describe unto me a vow, by whose observance I may attain all auspiciousness." The famous sage replied, "O King, I will explain to you the glories of and history of Amalaki Ekadasi, by following of which one receives all auspiciousness in their lives. The piety accumulated by observing this great Ekadasi undoubtedly destroys all sinful reactions and easily awards one liberation. It also gives the benefit of offering one thousand cows in charity.
Madhavendra Puri was the spiritual master of the spiritual master of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Srila Madhavendra Puri established the worship of the Gopala Deity.
"This account originally appeared in a short work by Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura entitled, 'Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu: His Life and Precepts.' (dated 20th August 1896.)" This was taken from "Prologue" to "Teachings of Lord Caitanya" (A.C.Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. 1974. pages xiii-xxii.) "Caitanya Mahaprabhu was born in Mayapur in the town of Nadia just after sunset on the evening of the 23rd Phalguna (1407 Sakadba), answering to the 18th of February 1486 of the Christian Era. The moon was eclipsed at the time of His birth, and the people of Nadia were then engaged, as was usual on such occasions, in bathing in the Bhagirathi with loud cheers of Haribol. His father, Jagannatha Misra, a poor 'brahmana' of the Vedic order, and His mother, Saci-devi, a model good woman, both descended from 'brahmana' stock originally residing in Sylhet. Mahaprabhu was a beautiful child, and the ladies of the town came to see Him with presents.
Face the fact: (Source Global Huger Index 2017)
India is world’s second largest food producer yet it is home to world second biggest undernourished population. Source FAO 2015
25 % of all hungry people worldwide live in India.
44% of Indian Children below the age of 5 are underweight.
Out of Worst hunger struck 119 countries India is at 100
What does a healthy human being need?
A balanced diet is one that helps a person maintain or improve health. It includes carbohydrates, fats, vitamins, proteins, roughage, water, and minerals. The amount of these nutrients varies with gender, age, occupation, climate and region. However, at ISKCON Punjabi Bagh, we understand that a complete meal is not just numbers and formulae. It is not just chopped-up vegetables and boiled grains. It is love that is the primary constituent of a healthy meal. The same love that a mother pours while she is at work in the kitchen, the same love that a father ploughs when he is toiling in the office, and the same love that siblings share when they fight.
How does ISKCON Punjabi Bagh satisfy this hunger?
We, at ISKCON Punjabi Bagh, understand that apart from a person’s body craving for satisfaction of the stomach, the satisfaction of the person occupying that body is also of primary importance. We solve this eternal craving of the soul through World’s Largest vegetarian Non-Profit Food Relief program called the Hare Krishna Food-for-Life.
Each meal is not only delicious but is also prepared with full attention to personnel & infrastructure hygiene. The food so prepared is first offered to the almighty Supreme Personality of Godhead Sri Krishna, therefore, although its quantity remains unchanged but qualitatively it is transformed from meal to Prasadam. Such sanctified meals on the one hand fulfil the basic necessity of the body and on the other purify the consciousness of a person. The fortunate people who receive Prasadam meals develop all good human qualities such as kindness, truthfulness, cleanliness, and gain immense control over the agitations of mind. No other food item in the world can offer such spiritual benefits.
Is it really World’s Largest?
Yes, ISKCON volunteers provide up to 2,000,000 (Two Million) free meals every day. His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada, the Founder-Acharya of ISKCON, instructed his disciples that no one should sleep hungry within a 10 mile radius of a Hare Krishna centre. Keeping true to His Divine Grace’s instructions, every centre based on the available resources tries to serve nutritious meals free of cost to every person who gives the temple an opportunity to serve. This includes visitors, pilgrims, and residents of neighbouring areas. In fact, monthly processions are also accompanied by free distribution of food. Apart from this, special relief packages are designed and dispatched to areas affected by natural calamities.
Can non-ISKCON people contribute?
We are all children of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. This makes us God-brothers & God-sisters. Therefore, we encourage the more fortunate brothers and sisters to come forward and help the less fortunate ones. This can be achieved by sponsoring meals for the homeless, disadvantaged children, pilgrims and slum dwellers. We have created this web-page specifically for reaching out to people who have a big heart and a little time, energy and resources to spare. Your small contribution here can make 2 square meals possible for unprivileged brethren.
Where will my money go?
As every ISKCON temple is completely financially independent of the other, all money donated to ISKCON Punjabi Bagh temple is utilized locally within New Delhi. At times, we also travel the Indian sub-continent and distribute free Prasadam across the length and breadth of India.
No money from your donation is transferred outside the country without explicitly mentioning it. ISKCON centres worldwide manage their funds locally for the benefit of that region’s local population.
Because of this reason,currently, ISKCON Punjabi Bagh also does not accept any donations from foreign countries for the Food for Life program. In case, you are eager to contribute we suggest getting in touch with an ISKCON centre in your neighbouring area. The complete list of ISKCON centres world wide can be found here: http://centers.iskcondesiretree.com/ Hopefully, at a later time, when people all over the world have transcended the boundaries of nationality, colour, language, ethnicity and politics, we might be able to extend ourselves to help all children of God irrespective of geographical location.
I am still not sure if I want to contribute!
No Problem, we thank you for taking out time to read about the Hare Krishna Food for Life program. we suggest that you scroll through the rest of the website. It is highly probable that you will find another social cause that is worth investing your time and resources in such as education, organic farming, sustainable living and much more.
For Any Further Information Please Contact